The Southern Belle
by datgurlwiththacurlz
Summary: Beauregard Rabbot has a responsibility he'd never thought he'd have to take on before. Takes place BEFORE the events of the Sonic Archie series/SATAM. Enjoy! Please review what I've done so far, it would really help!
1. 5 months

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: howdy! **

**I'm so happy that I've finally got to write a Sonic Archie fic!**

**I'll probably write a few more in the future, as I absolutely love the series!**

**So anyways, about 'The Southern Belle', I think you may have interpreted who the fic is about already by the title... ;)**

**My favourite character in the series, I hope you enjoy!**

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THE SOUTHERN BELLE: PROLOGUE

**KNOCK KNOCK.**

"go get the door, Lulu"

**KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.**

"please, Lu, ah'm kinda comfy here!"

**KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.**

"oh godammit, ah'll get it mahself!"

The tall middle-aged male rabbit lazily got up from his sofa and headed towards the front door.

This wasn't any old middle-aged rabbit, though. This was Beauregard Rabbot, head Baron of the Oil Ocean Refinery, and Grandmaster. Although he was in charge of a lot of people, he was still quite lazy when he wanted to be.  
His wife, Lulumae, or as he prefers, Lulu, was also quite lethargic. But she had an excuse, as she had recently developed an unknown illness which had her result to not moving very much at all. Beauregard was oblivious to this however.

The Baron slowly opened the front door.  
"y'all better have a good reason for knockin' on ma door this late!"  
He opens the door, only to find there was no one there.  
He sighs, "damn kids! This is the last time ah let them play a prank on me!"  
Beauregard goes to close the door, but notices something. "wait a sec..."  
He turns back around, only this time he notices someone on his doorstep.

A baby rabbit. With a note attached to it.

"n'aww. Someone gon' dun' dropped a lil' one on my door! Wonder who's it is..."  
He picks up the letter and reads it.

_"Dear Beauregard and your wife Lulumae._  
_This is your brother. You may be thinking why we've sent a baby to you._  
_It's ours._  
_You must've heard about the recent war that's broke out. Unfortunately my wife, she...lost her life to it. The reason you've got this is because...I'm dead too._  
_The baby...her name is Bunnie. I told a friend of mine to pass her on to you if I were to lose my life in the war. _  
_I'm relying on you to look after her and raise her. You are the closest family she has left to her. I want you to raise her, make her believe that you are her true parents. I trust you. Make her into a lovely girl, and hopefully one day a strong and great woman._  
_Please take good care of her."_

"ho' boy..." Beauregard picks up the baby girl and let's her sleep peacefully in his arms, "don't you worry none, big bro, ah'm gunna make her into a mighty fine young lady!"  
He rocks her back and forth, while smiling at the little rabbit.

Then, Lulumae appears behind her husband, curious. "what's going on? Who was at the door?"  
"...nobody..." says the Baron, not taking his eyes an inch away from the baby girl.  
"nobody? Are you sure? You've been out here quite long I-" Lulumae notices the baby in her husband's arms. "oh my...what a little cutie! Where did she come from?" she says, stroking her head gently as to not wake her up.  
"jus' turned up on the doorstep. She's ma brother's daughter. Our niece."  
"your brother? But...why has he sent her here?"  
"...he...died in the war...so did his wife..."  
"oh..." Lulumae covers her mouth with her hand. "I'm sorry to hear that..."  
Beauregard just nods, his eyes still glued on the little one.

"so..."  
Lulumae puts a comforting arm around her husband.  
"...what do we do with her?"  
"Bunnie." he almost interrupts.  
"...Bunnie?"  
"tha's her name" he finally looks up at his wife.  
"we're gon' raise her, an' we're gon' raise her good."


	2. 1 year

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Just to let you know, this story won't be very long, so should be finished fairly soon!**

**Also, the chapters will be quite short too!**

**So Bunnie's a bit older now. 1 year, 6 months to be exact. Enjoy the Chapter!**

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"Dad! _Daaaaad!_ **DADADADADAD!**"

A hyper young Bunnie jumped up and down in her high chair, demanding food.

Beauregard, waiting on his niece hand and foot, slowly brings a bowl of porridge for her. Bunnie decides that she isn't going to eat the porridge, but rather splash her hands around in it instead.

Beauregard facepalms, "Bunnie, will y'all simmer down? An' stop callin' me-"

"she won't understand you!" says Lulumae, entering the room behind him, "I know it's tough raising a child but...you can't expect her to understand what you're saying when she's a year old!"

"ah know that, Lulu, but it's weird her callin' me her daddy!"

"well you know what your brother said in that letter...he wanted us to raise her as if we were her parents! She's never going to meet her real parents of course she's going to believe that _we're_ her real parents!"

"yea but...she's gun' find out some day!"

"well..." Lulumae uncomfortably folds her arms, "...I hope she doesn't!"

Beauregard looks at her with a confused expression, "since when have _you_ wanted kids of ya own?"

"since...forever! I just...never told you"

Lulumae walks out of the room, picking up Bunnie and taking her into the living room. "why won't you eat your porridge?" she says to the little one on her way out.

Beauregard sits at the table and rests his chin on his hands. He sighs uncontrollably, and starts to fiddle with the teddy bear that had been sat beside Bunnie the whole time she was 'eating'. Unfortunately, it was covered in porridge. Beauregard ignored this, however.

He sat and thought about his responsibilities. _Ah wonder why he chose me to look after her..._ he thought, _why not our sister? She's already a parent, she knows how to handle 'em! But me...me? ah can't even change her diaper without some sort of problem!_

Beauregard has left most of the caring of Bunnie to Lulumae, but whatever he did towards raising her didn't go too well at all. Whenever he fed her, she refused to eat. When he put her to bed, she would not go to sleep. And when he changed her diaper, she kicked him extremely hard. But whenever Lulumae did these things, Bunnie seemed to behave well.

_What am ah doin' wrong?_ he thinks, _I do it the exact same way as she does! But she doesn't behave for me! Ah guess she hates me..._

__He picks up the teddy and takes it over to the sink, where he begins to wash out the porridge.

Then, Lulumae walks back into the room. "I think little Bunnie needs a bath, would you mind taking care of it for me? I might go for a nap, I'm not feeling too good..."

Beauregard hesitates, "...sure..." then Lulumae goes back in to pick up the little girl.

He sighs, _I'm only doing this for you Lulumae..._

She walks back in the room, with the baby in her arms. "here you go" she smiles at her husband before making her way upstairs.

Beauregard takes a moment to stand and observe his niece. She wriggles excessively in his arms. At one point she stops, and just stares back up at him. He smiles at her, hoping for some sort of reaction, but she starts to make high pitched loud noises, much to his annoyance.

He takes her up to the bathroom, and gets her into the bath. When the water is run, Bunnie finds it as an excuse to cause even more of a mess. A now soaking Beauregard gets out a sponge and begins to scrub the little rabbit girl. She begins to squirm in his arms and even tries to run away from him, but he eventually catches her and washes her.

Now covered in soap, Bunnie sits still, and resorts to making loud noises instead.

Beauregard cups his hands so that they are full of water, and begins to rinse her. Water trickles down her face.

She cries at some shampoo going in her eye.

Afraid she will wake Lulumae up, Beauregard puts a hand over her mouth. "shhhh! Ya might wake yer Aunt Lulu up!"

Too late.

She cries so loudly that Lulumae shouts from her room, "is everything alright?"

"yea...she jus' got a bit'a shampoo in her eye..."

"okay"

Bunnie continues to sob hysterically. She pushes her uncles hand off of her violently.

"now now Bunnie, quiet down..."

She continues to cry, eventually getting louder and louder.

Beauregard hangs his head in shame.

_Ma Lord..._ he thinks, _ah'm no good at this at all...ah don't know if ah can bear it!_


	3. 5 years

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: sorry it's late, I've been busy with exams D:**

**anyways, we've skipped ahead 4 years and Bunnie's now 5! C:**

**I wanted to make this chapter cute, And I wanted to make Bunnie cute, aaaand...**

**whatever. Just read it :P ~ datgurlwiththacurlz**

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The Southern Belle: Chapter 2

Beauregard Rabbot stands by the kitchen window sill, staring outside to his back yard. He watchs as his niece, now 5 years old, is sitting on a bench playing with her dolls. She's wearing a pink leotard, that Lulumae had picked for her, with a brown belt around her waist with a gold buckle. She kicks her feet back and forth, humming merrily to herself.  
He smiles at how much fun she is having. _I could never have that much fun on my own_, he thinks to himself, _but she's just...always so happy! I don't even know how..._

Meanwhile, Lulumae is cleaning the room. "why don't you take her to the park?" she says, standing on top of a chair, dusting a cabinet.  
He hesitates, "to the park...?"  
"yeah, the one just around the corner. She'll love it!"  
"well...aren't you comin'?"  
"naah, this whole house ain't gonna clean itself you know! And it's not like _you_ do it!" she jokes.  
"well ah know but...are you sure she'll wanna go with jus' me?"  
She walks up to Beauregard and puts her hands on both his shoulders,"don't be silly! Of course she will! You're her uncle! She loves you like hell!"  
"she does?"  
"of course!"

He looks back outside at Bunnie, who spots him, and waves back excitedly.  
"go on" she says, "it's a nice day outside"  
He pauses, "alright then, I'll go get Buns"

Beauregard then opens the door leading to the back garden and sticks his head out, "hey Bunnie, sweetheart, d'ya wanna go the park?"  
She jumps up excitedly, "_yeah!_ Can ah go on the swings, an' the big giant slide?" she says in a Southern accent, same as her father's.  
"sure thing, hunnie, let's go!"  
She bounds up to her uncle and grabs his hand, much to his surprise, and they walk out of the house together.

On the way walking to the park, Bunnie still holding her uncle's hand, looks up at him wondrously.  
"...Uncle Beau?"  
"yes sweetheart?"  
"Emily in mah class at school, she said that her momma an' daddy live with her at home an' they have a movie night every Friday night!"  
"oh they do? Maybe we can do that too then!"  
"yeah! She said it was _reeaal_ fun!"

She pauses for a few seconds.  
"...Uncle Beau? ...How come ah don't live with ma momma an' daddy?"  
"oh..." Beauregard stops, clueless on what to say, "err...I'll tell you when you're a bit older darlin'..."  
"okay!"  
They both resume to walk to the park, although Beauregard's eyes begin to water slightly.

_Poor girl, still so oblivious..._

Once they get to the park, Bunnie runs straight to the swing, and sits on it. "push me Uncle Beau! Push me!"  
The baron slowly walks himself over to the swings, and starts to push his niece gently back and forth.  
"ya can go higher than that!" she says.  
"not much higher though, don't want ya fallin' off!"  
"its _fiiiine_! Ah won't fall off of it!"

After a few more swings, she jumps of the seat and runs off elsewhere, "hmm, what now? OH! I wan' go on the slide now!" she climbs up on to the top of the slide, Beauregard watching on, worried as it's so high up. Luckily, she slides down safely, without falling off like her uncle worried would happen.

Once down, she runs straight over to the climbing frame next.  
"slow down now Buns, ah cain't keep up wit ya!" Beauregard shouts after her.  
She starts to climb up the bar, but her foot slips through one of the gaps, and she tumbles onto the ground straight onto her back.  
"Bunnie!" Beauregard shouts.  
Little Bunnie cries her heart out. As this was the first time she had hurt herself properly, she panicked way more than the matter was worth.  
Beauregard runs up and crouches next to her, "Buns are you alright darlin'?"  
"_sniff_ Ah was climbin' the frame, but ah fell through an', an', an' ah hurt ma arm!"  
"Ah saw whut ya did, darlin'. Y'all be alright, it'll go away soon, ah promise yah!"  
She looks up at her uncle, her emerald eyes gleaming in the sun "are ya sure Uncle Beau?"  
"ah'm sure!"

She looks back at her elbow, which is scraped and bleeding. There are also a bruise on her left shoulder where she fell on it. She's stopped hysterically crying now, but tears still stream down her face.  
"here" Beauregard grabs hold of her arm. He strokes the cut, causing her to flinch "**ow!**" she shouts.  
He leans in to her, and whispers slightly, "ah know how to make it bettah"  
Bunnie sniffles, "y-ya do?"  
"sho'!"  
He leans further in to her arm, and kisses the wound.  
"there ya go," he says, "that should help it heal up!"

Bunnie stares at it wondorously, amazed by it. _How can he do that?_ She thinks to herself.  
"it's startin' to feel better already!" she says, a smile forming on her face.  
"tha's good, sweetheart. Tha's what it was supposed ta do!"  
She nods along, looking at the ground, the smile still on her face. He smiles back.

There's a moments silence, before she looks back up at her uncle.  
"...ah love you, Uncle Beau!"

Beauregard's heart stops. It made him so happy to hear that.  
"ah love y'all too, princess..."

He looks at the time on his watch, "oh wow, it's 5 o'clock already! We'd better be headin' home, your Aunt Lulu'll be makin' dinner!"  
He helps his niece to her feet, grabs hold of her hand, and walks out of the park.

He smiles to himself all the way back, as she squeezes his hand, happily skipping along by his side.

_What a little sweetheart..._ he thinks, _ah'm so lucky to have her!_


End file.
